Weekly Roll - New Year

 

Linky Love

7 Reasons to Take Up Bird Watching - I downloaded ebird and registered for a New Mexico Big Year. 

How to use ebird

Rediscovering Creativity through Analog Hobbies - Analog activities seem to be coming up more and more among influencers

Scrap a day trend

Inappropriate Thoughts

 

You think with this kind of marketing this Tighty Whitey wine would be flying off the shelf. Am I right? This is a New Mexico wine

Deep Thoughts

It seems to be the season for resolutions. For many years, I chose a word of the year. Last year I believe was easy. I don't know if that was a good choice. I did consistently ask myself am I making this harder than necessary. I am not sure if I will have one little word this year. It hasn't come to me yet. I do find it somewhat helpful.

Weekly Roll

 

Just thought you would like to see a picture of Gary the snail. He is just living his best life. However one day he got caught inside the filter. Gary might not be the smartest snail in the tank but he is the biggest. 

How is 2021 treating you?  

One Little Word Update

I unexpectedly found my one little word in Shannan Martin's newsletter. My word is Begin and hers is beginning. If you need some spiritual uplifting in this confusing time. I find her perspective refreshing.

Creating Mary's Home Decluttering Challenge

I have done this the last couple of years. I haven't always kept up but I like the way it is laid out and at 13 weeks. It is really doable. If you fall behind, you go to the current place in the challenge and start there. Because even a little decluttering is better than none. Week 1  was the master closet and bath. I think I cleared a chunk. I just use the prompts in the email.

One Little Word 2020

CHANGE

Change is my one little word.  Instead of a resolution I have for a number years have had a word for the year. One Little Word is the creation of Ali Edwards.

I used her word generator as well. The word that it came up with was focus. So maybe my one little word is actually two little words - focused change.  I sense this will be a year of change.  How I navigate those changes is going to be important.

I have been inspired by a lot of stuff lately. If you subscribe to Elise Joy Newsletter she had a some great prompts for reflection. I also was inspired by the podcast  Cultivate a Good Life Episode 66 Understanding Autonomy

Are you a resolution fan or more of a one little word fan?

My Chunk of Joy

I was inspired by an old post by Modern Mrs Darcy - The Bits and Chunks of Joy Joy is my one little word for 2019.  I told myself I would seek JOY. A friend asked me what I had planned for fun this summer. I had nothing. Truthfully this summer has been hard so I decided to remind myself of all the things that I think are fun. These are the things that bring me some JOY!

Books - always books

Research - I like to research things . Lately it has been a lot of my own ancestry.  I like being a genealogical detective. Ancestry had a sale on the 4th of July so I finally got a subscription. I had been going to the library to use ancestry library edition which is great except when you hot on a trail and have to make time to visit the library and not get distracted by the books. I know total first world problems.

Baking is my love language. I am a fat person so I get a lot of fat shaming for this but I do enjoy it. I wish I didn't love a carb.

Cherry Muffins

Exploring- I like to hike with others and I like to geocache. My oldest son and I have been trying to have fun Friday's. We went to see Toy Story 4 one Friday.  We went for donuts and a park.

Flowers - I have a small cut flower bed this summer. It makes me happy.

One Little Word 2019

Ali Edwards came up with the one little word instead of a resolution.  Here is more info on Ali Edward's one little word. I have participated in various forms for many years.  Last year my word was clarity.  This year I choose JOY. 

I wrote that on the back of one of my planner. I am missing fun and enjoyment in my life. I am going to seek a lot more opportunities for that.  If things are going to be tough, I want to find the joy in that. I refuse to choose misery. I want to enjoy this ride called life whatever it brings.

Elise Gets Crafty Podcast discusses One Little Word with Ali Edwards

One Little Word and the Universe

I don't usually document much of my journey with One Little Word.  One Little Word is an invention of Ali Edwards.  Each year you choose a word to define your year.  I chose Clarity for my word.  I felt like my world had become a little muddy.  I had lost the big picture on a number of fronts.  Well, if you ask for the universe for clarity it provides it. So, here is my end of the year one little word update.

My first AH HA.  " IF you don't Track it, YOU can't change it"   So I have a number of goals I am tracking more in depth.  For example, I keep track of my steps in a planner.  Yes, I know that fitbit does this as well but I needed to see it more in a graphic way.  I noticed in January I had three days when I didn't even make 5,000 step days.  So I resolved to have less under 5,000 days.  In February, I had 1 day less than 5,000 step days.  I  challenged myself in March to consistently walk 6,000 steps every darn day. I can say generally that I average 8000 consistently every day.


Secondly, is the phrase " Begin with the end in mind".  I had lost track of what I was actually trying to accomplish.  The details and drama had derailed me from what the end goal was.  I am responsible for several people's well being and it is so easy to forget what the end game is.  The end game is for them to be responsible for THEMSELVES. This goal was in the forefront at the beginning of the year as I had a student driver. It took him longer than expected to get his license but he did it. We all survived

Loss
If death doesn't put things in perspective I don't know what does.  The loss of Pappy this year was bittersweet. Pappy was an amazing person.  He will be missed. He lived a full to the brim 98 years. There are no words.

One LITTLE word of 2018

I have participated in Ali Edward's One Little Word project for several years.

2007- action
2008- seek
2009- stand
2010- live
2011- act
2012- maverick
2013- endeavor
2014- evolve
2015- launch
2016- progress
2017- burn

My word of 2017 was Burn.  I know that is unusual but it really suited last year. I burned lots of calories hiking for Trek for the Treasure and I burned away some the expectations I had.

I struggled to come up with one word for this year but I settled on Clarity.

Why Clarity?
I need some new goals but not just any goals . Goals with direction.

Need to see other's one little words

Ali Edwards
Money Saving Mom

One Little Word - 2017

I have long been a fan of the one little word resolution movement.  I think we can call it a movement. One little word is where you choose a word for the year instead of a resolution. Check out Ali Edwards post on One Little Word.

Oh, I also love a good list.  I thought I would list my previous words since I began blogging for your reading enjoyment

2007- action
2008- seek
2009- stand
2010- live
2011- act
2012 - maverick
2013- endeavor
2014- evolve
2015- launch
2016 - progress

To be quite honest, I didn't even remember the word I picked for 2016.  Though I have to say it perfectly fit my year.

I choose Burn for 2017.  I also choose a quote but for this year I choose a trio of quotes.

My ONE little WORD 2016

I am big fan of the one little word instead of a resolution. This year I choose - (insert drum roll)

PROGRESS

I am very much a work in progress and I have goals I need to make progress on.  There are some pretty big goals I am working on this year so I think it is perfect word for 2016.

Want more info about choosing one little word check out Ali Edwards  and Elise

One Little Word 2015

So it begins...

I choose the word (insert drumroll)

LAUNCH

 

I have known for a couple of weeks this was going to be the word for me.  For a number of years, I have participated in Ali Edwards one little word.  Basically you choose a word instead of a resolution to represent that year.  Last year 2014, my word was evolve. 

 

What the word LAUNCH means to me

 

 Less about talking about doing things and more about doing things

 

My oldest will be a senior at the end of this year.  Because of his unique situation and awesome abilities.  I will need to help him launch himself.  This calls me to do things that I am not skilled at and be a much bigger advocate than I am . So launch is also scary but necessary.

 

I also think the word launch requires a certain kind of boldness and jumping in.

 

Launch also represents that all the preparation has been done and now is time to put those skills into

practice.

 

Launch also involves risk and possible failure as well.

 

 

 

 



What I learned in September

I am linking up with Chatting At The Sky on What We Learned in September. Check out what everyone else learned.

School is back in session.  My youngest started middle school.  He didn't even want me to drop him off the first day. He is so braver perhaps more brave than myself.  Momastery summed it up so perfectly in her post.

Every Garden needs a ninja rock. I have discovered that laughing while weeding is the only way to weed. Every time I water and weed, I see this and it makes me smile.

My best friend reminded me of my one little word.  She had been inspired by someone's post of  all their themes/word for the year in a wall grouping.  I was sad to say that I had temporarily forgotten what my one little word was.  That was a little sad.  My one little word is Evolve.

Have you discovered Nuestro Sabor Gatorade - Lime Cucumber. I am usually not a big fan of Gatorade but this stuff is pretty good. I have only seen it at the gas station. A picture of a empty bottle because it was that good.

I have decided to join Nesters 31 days of Writing.  I discovered I still have a lot to share. I have done several topics in the past.  I did a lot of pre writing for previous 31 day series  and for me that is the way to go. This is also how I know that I have the right topic.  I am doing the same pre-writing for my topic this year - 31 days of  Adventure.

Lastly, my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.  I feel so lucky to be married to this man.

500 Miles

Well since starting to wear my Fitbit , I made it 500 miles.  I started wearing it Dec 25, 2013.  So as a reward to myself yesterday, I decided to walk the length of Birch Bay Park. I ditched my walking partner, Tigger the wonder dog and did this one alone.

Bald Eagle I saw on my Walk at Birch Bay

Lately, it just has been me and my dog walking.  I prefer to walk with a partner and I prefer to vary the route.  I get bored easily. It is something I feel I have to do.  I try every day to reach my 10,000 step goal.  I guess I am evolving in that I don't need another person to walk with or push me to reach my fitness goal. So, I am hoping to reach 1,000 miles before my birthday in November.

Playlist in my Mind/Personal Anthem

Recently in Parade Magazine, they had the Happy Playlist of some celebrities- Dr Oz, Al Roker , Katie Couric, Macro Rubio.  It was interesting.  Who knew on Dr Oz had Waka  Waka on his playlist?

I am one of these people who get a song or a phrase stuck in my head.  Sometimes there is meaning there and other times it is just my brain filling space.

The Nester had a blog post on personal anthems.  IT got me to thinking.  Do I have a song that is a personal anthem for me? For a while, I  it has been for a while Aaron Prichett and "How Do I get There". Specifically this verse

How Do I Get There
Can I Ever
Unburn the Bridges
The Bridges I Burned
To the Ground

More recently it has been Compass by Lady Antebellum



My current go to playlist
Home - Phillips Phillips
Southern Comfort Zone - Brad Paisley
Between the Raindrops- Lifehouse, Natasha Bedingfield
Remind Me Who I am - Jason Gray
Wake Me Up- Avicii
Even If It Breaks Your Heart - Eli Young Band
Blurred Lines- Robin Thicke
It's Time - Imagine Dragons
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
Counting Stars -One Republic
Every Storm- Gary Allan
Mama's Broken Heart- Miranda Lambert
Compass - Lady Antebellum
Roar - Katy Perry

Zumba

*** I wrote this at the end of  February. I saw a review of Zumba on another Blog, Home Stories A to Z so I thought it was time to post my own little review.

The past couple of months, I have been giving Zumba a try.  I really like it.  NO I am not a dancer or fitness nut.  It is definitely outside of my comfort zone.  Being on the bigger size, it is not easy to walk into a fitness class. It wasn't for my friend Mrs Epi the first time I would of turned around and ran all the way home. It reminds me of the diagram below.

I am out of shape and out of step.  I don't bounce or glide or turn but I have been doing Zumba for January and February.  Sometimes I even have flow. It feels good. Right now, this is where the magic is happening for me.  Welcome to my evolution.

I love this post from Teacher Tom - About Not Falling Down and how adults make this fitness thing less fun or something like that.

Things I Learned In February

I am linking up with Chatting at the Sky  "Things I learned in February"

1. My dog doesn't like my Zumba moves. The actual moves anger him.  Every time I start dancing he starts to bark and jumps on me. I don't know what is up with that. Seriously, I have been having fun learning to Zumba so I have been basically practicing my non moves everywhere.

2.My Son has been working on his science project. He has been trying to figure out if temperature effects the height of the bounce of a tennis ball. I learned that temperature does effect ball bounce quite a bit. It does. Much to the chagrin of my family it also triggered a few new band names for me - "Frozen Balls" or " Boiling Balls".  Get your mind out of the gutter PEOPLE.

Boiling Tennis Balls

3. I am one of those people who get songs stuck in my head.  Currently the Lego Movie song is stuck in the sound track of my brain. We went as a family last week to see it. It was cute. You can basically apply this song to everything - Everything is AWESOME when you work as a team. It is quickly becoming my anthem.



4. I was inspired by this Evolve quote I used for my one little word so I took it to the next level.  Not quite happy with it. No pun intended, this is how it evolved. I also learned that I can't help tweaking things.

 

 



Counting Steps

Yes, I am one of those people who have been counting my steps.  I have been trying to get 10,000 steps daily.  I don't always succeed but sometimes I do.  It is all about my one little word - evolve.  I am trying to evolve from my couch loving self to someone who is fitter.  I am doing it one step at a time.

I have tried a whole host of pedometers but this Christmas both my husband and I got the Fitbit flex.   I have been wearing it over a month and I have to say I like it. I love that it syncs to my phone and computer.  I think it does a pretty good job of counting steps too.  You get a lot of feed back from this little device. It is addictive. Loved the article in Parade Magazine by Connie Schultz and her addiction to her fitbit.

My fitbit

The March All You has a whole article on different Pedometers and little ways to get more steps. I particularly liked the idea of right before bed walk around your house for 5 minutes picking up.  That alone is suppose to net you an extra 250 steps.

Fit Bit has it's own blog.

**** All the opinions above are my own.  I was not paid for my opinion.

One Little Word Graphic Quote

I should mark this as a item I spent WAY TO MUCH TIME ON.  I made my One Little Word quote a graphic poster.  I made this in Photoshop Elements. It turned out great.  I based it on AAA ad. (see below) 

AAA inspiration ad

It is now on the magnetic board in my Command Center near my desk.  Hopefully this will keep my word front and center.

Ali Edwards had a list of all the word that people are using for their ONE LITTLE WORD (OLW).  So if you need inspiration, check out the list. 

One Little Word 2014

EVOLVE

Once again instead of a resolution, I am opting for 1 little word to define my upcoming year. I choose the word evolve. My word just came to me when I read this quote. 

We are always evolving into new, better  versions of ourselves.
The comforting news is that we are never finished.
The idea of being unfinished is nice, for it always leaves room for improvement.
For trying new things, for developing new hobbies and making new friends.
Being unfinished means we can cry today, and next week or next year we won't cry for the same thing. Because we are moving,evolving, becoming better versions of ourselves. ( unknown)

Check out the One Little Word (OLW) over at Ali Edwards Blog. People are posting their words in the comments.

I have been doing this since 2009 and I some of my words have been more memorable.  I plan on putting the above quote on my magnetic board so maybe this year my word is going to be more visible.

One Little Word for 2013

Ali Edwards has been doing 1 little word for the last couple of years instead of a resolution.   I have been joining in for the past couple of years. My word for 2012 was Maverick.  In a lot of ways this word played out as some parts of my life required creative solutions and unconventional approaches. I decided to pick a different kind of word this year. This year, I chose the word endeavor, which means attempt or try.

There are a lot of areas I could try harder.  There are lots of places in my life where I am holding back or not attempting to conquer my fears or anxiety.  I can do better.  I can try harder.

One Little Word

A lot more ACTION and a lot less talk

In what has become a New Year Tradition, I have chosen a new one little word(OLW) for 2011. For more information about one little word visit Ali Edwards Blog. My word for 2011 is ACT. I like to research and research but there is a point where action or one needs to act. There is several areas in my life I need to act on such as my weight. More to follow on that later. I love the simplicity of one little word over a resolution.